(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, such as a hybrid type recorder, that performs a dual function as a DVD recorder for a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and an HD recorder for an HD (hard disk), as well as to a recording program and a recording method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement in a technique for making a backup copy of a content recorded in one recording medium in another recording medium.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Manufacturers of DVD recorders and HD recorders are now competing fiercely to develop better products to capture the market for replacements of home use VCRs. DVDs and HDs respectively have their merits and demerits, and it is difficult to decide which are superior to which. For this reason, the consumer electronics manufacturers have started to commercially introduce hybrid type recorders that perform a dual-function as a DVD recorder and a HD recorder.
Internally equipped with a large-capacity HD of, e.g., 80 gigabytes, such a hybrid type recorder is capable of temporarily storing contents equivalent to half a day or whole day broadcasting. The user is then selectively copies, from the HD to a DVD, contents that are worth saving permanently out of a number of temporarily stored contents. With the full use of this copy function from the HD to a DVD, a number of contents stored in the HD are easily organized.
However, there is a problem as follows. That is, due to the difference between an HD and a DVD in storage capacity, there may be a case where contents can not be copied into a DVD in the combination that the user desires. To be more specific, consideration is give to an example in which a user desires to copy three of the contents stored in the HD into one DVD. In such a case, the hybrid type recorder starts to copy the contents one by one after confirming that the capacity of the DVD remaining available is sufficient to record the content. Here, it is possible that, after storing the first two contents, the available capacity is slightly short for recording the third content, and the recording apparatus informs the user that the DVD is full. In this case, the third content can not be recorded unless the user has another DVD available at hand. In addition, even if the user does have another DVD, the third content ends up being recorded on a separate DVD from the first and the second contents. This is especially undesirable when the three contents are three serials that together complete one drama. Un like when they are stored in the HD, the three contents are separately recorded on more than one DVDs. Thus, the three contents are no longer treated as one set of data although they all belong to one serialized drama, which may be frustrating for the user.